Wills Navy Cut

Wills Navy Cut was originally manufactured by W.D. & H.O. Wills in the United Kingdom. Named after the Wills surname (of Wills family) of W.D. & H.O. Wills, the cigarette was one of the most notable products of the company in the UK. In 1910, ITC Limited (then called "Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited") commenced its operations in Kolkata. ITC started manufacturing cigarette brands.[2]

Wills Navy Cut Filter Tipped, was launched in July 1963 in India at the price of 10 Annas for a packet of 10 cigarettes. At this time, the biggest task was to assure people that the addition of the filter was meant to enhance the taste they were accustomed to, since many Indians at the time were used to traditional unfiltered cigarettes.

In the years since, Wills Navy Cut was launched in a flat 10s pack with a distinctive red band. The W leaf was also a part of the pack. One of the biggest changes in the brand was to give Navy Cut its due prominence, over time the Wills Crest was replaced by the classic unicorns as well.[3]

In 1988, W.D. & H.O. Wills went defunct and as a result production of Wills Navy Cut stopped in the U.K. Being an independent company, ITC continued to manufacture and market the cigarette in India. Despite W.D. & H.O. Wills going defunct, ITC still has "From the House of W.D. & H.O. Wills" printed on the cigarettes and its packaging.[2]

Navy Cut was given a new look in 2012.[4]

The brand name "Wills Navy Cut" is an official registered trademark, registered under class 34.[5]

In the beginning, the marketing was aimed for the creation of the perfect match of filter and tobacco, to drive home the idea that a filter was the perfect addition to a cigarette. This communication was also one of the first to have women as a part of the marketing campaign.

The years 1968/69 saw a huge growth in competition with lower-priced filter cigarettes, however, Navy Cut continued to retain its market share.[6]

In 1965, ITC Limited introduced the "Made for each other" advertising campaign. The print ad featured a happily married couple reading a Polish joke book. The idea was to highlight how tobacco and filter were perfectly matched in the brand's cigarette, with the aim to encourage couples in the urban centers to start smoking Wills Navy Cut, hence giving the idea that Wills Navy Cut makes for the "perfect match" and making the brand both emotional and aspirational. In 1969 ITC introduced the "Wills Made for Each Other" contest to select the perfectly matched couple. Which half forms the paper rolled tobacco and who's the filter is a topic of an unending debate. Many posters were hung up on prominent street corners until the 1990s and disappeared completely when tobacco advertising was banned in India in 2004. The "Made for each other" campaign went on to become one of the longest-running and most recognisable advertising campaigns in India.[7][8][9]

With the changing times, the brand changed too and 2009 saw the entry of Navy Cut Kings.[10]

ITC also released various limited edition packs. Some of the limited edition packs include: "The Cricket Edition" that captured the essence of cricket during the 1996 Wills World Cup[11][12] After that, the "New year edition 2009" and the "Hallmark of Quality", a take on the quality and class of Navy Cut in red and gold. A special edition "40 years of Navy Cut" pack was also made to commemorate on the 40-year existence of the Wills Navy Cut brand, with the slogan "Made for each other" engraved on the pack.[13]

Wills Navy Cut is mainly sold in India, but also was or still is sold in the United Kingdom, Kuwait and Pakistan.[14][15][16]

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• List of cigarette brands